Smokepaw's Dawn
by Hawkfire
Summary: Smokepaw has survived falling off of a cliff, and at the bottom a cat nurses him back to health. Soon he discovers hidden secrets around the strange cat, and that it's up to Smokepaw to save the cat, and the cat's friends.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own warriors, or any of Erin Hunter's (Cedrith Baldry and Kate Cary) characters. The only thing I own is the idea of Smokepaw surviving the fall, and his warrior name, and the names of the BloodClan characters, excluding Purdy. I do not own the concept of BloodClan, or the concept of them needing live prey._

_**Chapter I**_

The four clans had left at dawn, to find a new home. They had a long hard journey ahead of them. He had overheard Stormfur of RiverClan telling Leopardstar that there were two routes to Sundrownplace. Sundrownplace was the place the six questing cats had gone to receive a message from Midnight, a badger. Smokepaw's own instincts told him not to trust a badger with the fate of all four clans, but, as he had been told midnight was a special badger, with the intelligence to speak in cat, as well as many other dialects, and she believed in the cats warrior ancestors, StarClan. The clans, after not receiving the dying warrior sign, that Midnight had promised them, had decided to find Midnight and ask her what to do.

Smokepaw was sharing tongues with his best friend Talonpaw, and listen to Tawnypelt explain about the journey. He wondered what faced them on the two routes. Mostly about the route through the mountains, since he was almost certain that they wouldn't go through the Twolegplace with over one hundred with them. Then again, danger also lurked in the mountains.

"...And be careful not to get stuck under any fences. Squirrelpaw got stuck, and while the toms argued, me and Feathertail..."

When Tawnypelt spoke about her lost companion, Feathertail, Smokepaw saw a glint of sadness in her eyes. Feathertail of RiverClan had not returned from the journey. She had died saving the five other questing cats, and the Tribe who lived in the mountains. Smokepaw looked at Crowpaw. It must have been torture for the difficult black apprentice, who had harboured a forbidden love for Feathertail, and for Stormfur, Feathertail's brother. It also must have been torture for Feathertail, knowing that she didn't want to become torn between two clans as her parents had been.

That night Smokepaw slept soundly with a full belly, for the first time in moons. Many cats would not cope with the long journey that lay ahead. Heavystep, a RiverClan elder was losing his hearing, and Longtail of ThunderClan was blind. Even when they got to Sundrownplace, Thunderclan would need a forest, RiverClan would need a fish filled river, WindClan would need moors with rabbits, and ShadowClan would need a pine forest. Nothing would ever be the same.



Just a little closer, and he would be able to get it in one pounce. Suddenly a twig poked painfully into his side, making him squeak in pain. The thrush gave an alarm call, and fluttered up into a tree.

Smokepaw woke up to find Talonpaw prodding him with one fore paw. "Smokepaw! Quick! The clans are leaving!" he hissed in Smokepaw's ear. "Wha?" said Smokepaw, groggily. "It's time to go!" said Talonpaw, "We're gonna get left behind!" Then Smokepaw saw that the other cats were starting to file out the gap in the abandoned twoleg nest the clans had sheltered in for the night.

When the clans were on the move again, trudging slowly through the mud from two days ago rain, they soon came to a thunderpath.

It was decided (or more like argued) that the questing warriors would lead each clan across it. RiverClan crossed first, without any trouble. Now it was WindClan's turn. Smokepaw had thought that WindClan would wait until the monster, that they could hear in the distance, passed, until they would cross. Instead, WindClan's aggressive deputy, Mudclaw, shouldered Crowpaw aside, and lead them across the thunderpath, with the monster screaming towards them.

Smokepaw watched in horror, as the monster got closer and closer. Morningflower, a WindClan elder, fell behind. Smokepaw watched as Firestar, the ThunderClan leader, judged whether he could get to the elder in time, or if the monster was too close. Smokepaw was relieved to see the monster swerve away from Morningflower, until he saw that the monster was headed straight for Firestar. Smokepaw had never seen a leader lose a life, and he didn't want to, so he shut his eyes tight. The sickening crunch never came, so he opened his eyes a tiny slit, to see Firestar almost knocked off his paws, by the buffeting wind of the monster.

When Tawnypelt led ShadowClan, he barreled headfirst into the hedge on the other side of the thunderpath, he was running so fast. ThunderClan's sensible leader, Firestar, let the experienced Brambleclaw lead, so ThunderClan crossed safely.

At the other side, Smokepaw heard a rustle in the dry leafs from leaf-fall. Instinctively, he dropped into the hunters crouch. When he saw the fat mouse nibbling on a seed, he pounced. The mouse tried to run, but Smokepaw, after moons of training, easily snatched it and killed it with one bite. He wasn't hungry, so he decided to take his catch to the elders, with the hope of a story.

When the clans arrived at highstones, the leaders and medicine cats went to mothermouth, and the warriors and some of the apprentices went hunting. Smokepaw asked his mentor, Oakfur, if he could take his fresh-kill to the elders. "Very well. I doubt Blackstar will mind." meowed Oakfur. Talonpaw also asked his mentor, Rowanclaw, for permission to take his rabbit, that he had caught on the way to highstones, to the elders. "Can't hurt." said Rowanclaw, "Looking for a story?" "Yeah." said Talonpaw. "Well go ahead. The ShadowClan elders are sheltering in that hollow over there." said Rowanclaw, indicating with his tail, a hollow in the tallest of the great stones. The two apprentices dashed off, with their fresh-kill in their mouths, to the hollow Rowanclaw had indicated.

"Is that for us?" rasped Boulder. "Yes." said Smokepaw, politely, "Will you tell us a story, please?" "Why don't you tell them of how the great clan cats came to the forest?" meowed Runningnose, looking forlornly at the

ruined, twoleg infested forest that lay behind the clans.

The story reminded Smokepaw of the situation the clans found themselves in now. In the story the four great cat clans had all been forced to leave different places. LionClan had come from the south, LeopardClan had originated in the southwest, and TigerClan had traveled from the east. Boulder was getting to the end of the story in which TigerClan had established their territory in the

old forest, which used to be much bigger.

Suddenly there was some commotion among the leaders. Firestar leaped into one of the great stones. "Cats of all clans!" yowled Firestar, "I have news for you!" "Why does he always have to speak for-" Talonpaw's muttered comment was cut short as Goldenflower, a ThunderClan elder, swiftly swept her tail up to Talonpaw's mouth.

"The four questing cats," Firestar went on, "Have just received the dying warrior sign, on top of the tallest stone here, which Midnight thought was the great rock. A falling star has shown that we must take the path over the mountains." he paused for breath,

"We will leave at sunrise tomorrow!"


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter II_**

Dog! Smokepaw barreled up a tree to stand shivering beside Reedpaw of RiverClan, and two other warriors whom he did not recognize. A dark brown tabby tom from ThunderClan, and a small white she-cat from WindClan. Smokepaw looked down from the tree in amazement, as Brambleclaw, and Hawkfrost flashed back and fourth like lightning, timing every move perfectly, moving together as one.

"Wow." said Reedpaw, "I wonder if even the leaders can do that." "I wish I could do that." agreed Smokepaw wistfully. "If you train hard with your mentors, maybe someday you will be able to do that." said the tabby. Suddenly a twoleg came and grabbed the dog by its collar, and took it back to its twoleg nest.

When the clans were on the move again, Smokepaw asked Tawnypelt, "Was that the most dangerous thing we'll encounter?" "No." she replied. What was it that scared these cats so much?



Smokepaw looked at the towering cliffs in dismay. The clans had arrived at the base of the mountains yesterday, and now were getting ready for the long journey,

up. Smokepaw somehow knew that some cat he knew well would fall. He knew it was probably better then the twolegplace; after all StarClan had advised them to, but still... "Cats." Leopardstar began, "Before we star our journey, I want

every cat to keep an eye on the skies." "There are many hawks and eagles on the mountains." added Mudclaw, like he went on the quest, or something. Hawks and eagle must be birds, Smokepaw thought, but if even the leaders were scared of them, he couldn't imagine what size of bird.

The clans had gotten to a narrow ledge, and Smokepaw started noticing that it seemed to keep getting even

narrower. He could tell that the other cats were also starting to notice it too, from the uneasy muttering, and from the way the cats instinctively started to travel in a narrower line, rather then one large group. "Are you sure this is the right way?" mewed Firestar. "I don't know." Squirrelpaw answered, "It looks way different coming from this direction." "Travel single file!" Blackstar ordered. "If this ledge doesn't get any wider, we'll have to turn around and go back." said Mudclaw.

It really was starting to get on Smokepaw's nerves, the way Mudclaw was giving orders in Tallstar's place. Then again, Smokepaw reflected, Mudclaw was deputy, and Tallstar was getting old, and was on his ninth life.

Suddenly the rock broke under Smokepaw's weight. He scrabbled, desperately trying to get a grip on the smooth stone. Russetfur tried to pull him back up, but only succeeded in crumbling more rock off of the ledge. He felt his life slipping away, and then he was falling into nothingness. He tried to yowl, but nothing came out. When he tuned his head up, he saw the horrified face of his mother Nightwing, and then everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter III_**

Smokepaw was in a barn. He saw a cat looking at him. Slowly the cat smiled. Was that fall all a dream? Was he and the cat still in Ravenpaw's barn? Who was this strange cat? "At last you're awake." said the strange cat. Smokepaw sniffed warily. The cat didn't smell like any clan he knew. Suddenly he realized it must be Barley. "Barley?" said Smokepaw. "Why do you want barley?" the strange cat said, not understanding, "Cats don't eat barley." "No." said Smokepaw, "Is your name Barley?" "Your name is Barley?" said the strange cat. "Mine's Claws. Go back to sleep. You need rest because of your fall."

Suddenly it hit him like a rock. It hadn't been a dream! How could he have survived this fall? Who was Claws? Where was he? Smokepaw fell asleep thinking about these questions, and slept like a hibernating hedgehog.



Smokepaw was incredibly hungry. Thirsty to, but mostly hungry. A shrew darted by his nose, and Smokepaw flashed out a paw, and missed.

Slowly Smokepaw thought about his situation. He was in the loft of a barn that was in a sort of broad corridor between a mountain, and the cliff he had fallen off of. Running through the corridor, was a stream, and a twoleg path. He assumed that the twolegs were not using the path, or the barn, because there was no scent, and the path was overgrown with shrubs and weeds, something twolegs would never do.

The barn was very similar to Ravenpaw's, as he could hear the squeaking and scuttering of mice and other small rodents, and that there was hay and straw everywhere. The only difference, was that there was no scent of twolegs anywhere.

"Hi Barley!" said the cheerful voice of Claws, "You're awake! You must be hungry." Smokepaw almost laughed at what an understatement that was. "My name's-" Smokepaw tried. "-Barley. I know." Claws interrupted, " I brought you a mouse. Eat up, or you'll starve. There's a puddle right next to your head, if you're thirsty."

Smokepaw gulped down the mouse in two bites, and then tried to pull himself closer to the water, to drink. A sudden jolt of pain shot through him, as he tried to put weight in his left shoulder. He soon realized that his shoulder was dislocated, since he couldn't move it. Finally he managed to wriggle over to the puddle, to quench his thirst. Soon after, he fell asleep, again He was awakened by two paws pushing his side, painfully. "Mousedung!" said the voice of Claws. "I hoped to do this while you were asleep."

As Claws's teeth met his bad leg, Smokepaw retaliated, lashing out, claws open, with his good paw. "Ow, Barley. That hurt. I'm trying to put your leg back." All at once, a searing pain shot through him, and once again, everything went black.



Smokepaw was in a hollow, and in the middle of the hollow, was a pool. The pool looked sort of strange, and Smokepaw realized the stars were reflected in the water. He was dreaming.

For a long time he just sat looking at the pool. Then he saw a glowing mist rising from the reflected stars in the pool. Slowly, to Smokepaw's amazement, the mist began to take the shape of many different cats, until there were many starlit cats in front of him. The cats seemed to have pelts edged with white fire. When they spoke, it sounded as if all of them were saying everything in perfect unison, but not quite as one cat. "Welcome, Smokepaw." they said, "We have come to give you your warrior name, as Blackstar cannot give it to you, himself."

Smokepaw was thunderstruck. It had never occurred to him that he might never receive his warrior name, and, now, here he was!

Slowly a cat padded forward. The tom was a tortoiseshell cat, with ice-blue eyes, that burned into him as he walked. "W-who are you?" Smokepaw stammered. "I am Raggedstar, former leader of ShadowClan." the cat replied, "Smokepaw, you have showed loyalty and strength in all of your battles before the twolegs came. Now the time has come when you are to be made a warrior." Raggedstar paused, then went on, "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, at the cost of your life, even as you live the live of a loner?"

Smokepaw recounted all the times he had heard the same words, followed by 'I do'. He remembered each time wishing it was him. He had worked hard all day long, dawn 'till dusk, for this single moment. He was receiving his warrior name from a StarClan warrior, and he couldn't imagine what kind of honor this was, although it was very costly, as he may never see his clanmates, of the new territory.

He replied steadily, "I do." "Then," said Raggedstar, "By the powers of StarClan, I will give you your warrior name. Smokepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Smokefur. StarClan honors the courage and strength you used to survive this fall." Raggedstar stepped forward, and rested his muzzle on Smokefur's head. He wondered if, at this moment, Talonpaw was receiving his warrior name.

He realized he had a question that he almost didn't want to ask, for fear of what the answer was going to be.

"Raggedstar," he asked, the words sticking in his throat like thorns, "Will I ever see my clanmates again?" Raggedstar paused, and Smokefur already knew what the answer was. "No." Raggedstar replied, "But I can tell you that you will live with a few clan cats, but not soon." With that, he began to fade. "Wait!" Smokefur cried, "Which clan cats? What are their names?" "Be careful of who you chose to live with..." and Raggedstar and the other cats faded into the mist, and the mist escaped into the night air, and Smokefur was left staring at the pool empty, except for the stars reflected in the water.


End file.
